Free Microsoft Antivirus (Microsoft Security Essentials)

This is an exclusive look at the new FREE Microsoft Antivirus program. It is currently in BETA. The actual name of the software is: Microsoft Security Essentials. In this post I will show you what the program looks like in Windows 7 and my first impressions.

Where to Download the Microsoft Security Essentials

There has been a lot of confusion on where to download Microsoft Security Essentials. Click on this last link and you will be taken to the download page. You have to sign in with your Live Account and then fill out a 6 or 7 questionnaire. Once you have done that you will be able to download one of three files.

First file is for Windows XP

Second file is for Windows Vista or Windows 7 32bit Editions

Third file is for Windows Vista or Windows 7 64bit Editions

Make sure you have removed any other anti-virus solution before installing Microsoft Security Essentials.

Resources needed by Microsoft Security Essentials

As you can see the program hovers around 4MB of RAM used!!! I think the last time I looked at Norton Antivirus or the popular FREE AVG Antivirus they use anywhere from 80MB – 120MB! I am totally blown away at the small foot print of the program. Microsoft Security Essentials has a similar foot print to my favorite Antivirus program “Eset Nod32”.

Microsoft Security Essentials Tour (Home Tab)

There isn’t much to really configure in Microsoft Security Essentials. The home and default tab allows you to setup and configure most of it’s features. My first scan on my laptop took just over 10 minutes. Everything seem surprisingly quick and responsive. Even when doing the first scan my computer never felt sluggish. (Unlike when Norton, Bitdefender or Trend Antivirus)

Microsoft Security Essentials Tour (Update Tab)

I don’t know how much easier Microsoft could have made this program. On this tab you almost have to be blind if you miss the “Update” button. Again. Not much to really configure or setup for the user.

Microsoft Security Essentials Tour (History Tab)

As expected I didn’t think Microsoft Security Essentials would find anything. Like the other tabs the design is very clean and gets to the point.

Microsoft Security Essentials Tour (Settings Tab)

This is the most complex tab of the program. There is several thing you can select on the left hand side. Once you click on the setting category the things you change change show up on the right hand side of the window.

Schedual Scan Setting

You can do what the name implies. Schedule a scan. The default is to do a quick scan every Sunday @ 2:00am. It won’t scan if it’s in use.

“Default Actions” Setting

These settings can change the default settings of Security Essentials. Here are the default settings.

“Real-time Protection” Setting

These settings can change the default settings of Security Essentials. Here are the default settings for Real time Protection.

“Excluded File & Locations” Setting

Here are the default settings in the Excluded File and Locations.

“Excluded File Types” Setting

Here are the default settings in the Excluded File types.

“Excluded Processes” Setting

Here are the default settings in the Excluded Processes.

“Advanced” Setting

Here are the default settings in the Advance category.

“Microsoft SpyNet” Setting

Here are the default settings in the Microsoft SpyNet category.

Microsoft Security Essentials Privacy Statement

At Microsoft, we’re working hard to protect your privacy while delivering products that bring you the performance, power, and convenience you desire in your personal computing. This privacy statement explains many of the data collection and use practices of Microsoft Security Essentials. This is a preliminary disclosure that focuses on features that communicate with the Internet and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. It does not apply to other online or offline Microsoft sites, products, or services.

It offers two ways to help protect your computer from malware and other potentially unwanted software:

Real-time protection. Microsoft Security Essentials alerts you when malware, spyware or potentially unwanted software attempts to install or run on your computer. It also alerts you when programs attempt to change important Windows settings.

Scanning options. You can use Microsoft Security Essentials to scan for threats, viruses, spyware, and other potentially unwanted software that might be installed on your computer, to schedule scans on a regular basis, and to automatically remove any malicious software that is detected during a scan.

Collection and use of your personal information

When we need information that personally identifies you or allows us to contact you, we will explicitly ask you for it. In the case of Microsoft SpyNet, by accepting this privacy statement, you agree to send reports to Microsoft (see below). The personal information that we collect from you will be used by Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates to provide the service(s) or carry out the transaction(s) you have requested or authorized, and it may also be used to request additional information on feedback that you provide about the product or service that you are using; to provide critical updates and notifications regarding the pre-release software; or to improve the product or service (for example, bug and survey form inquiries).

Except as described in this statement, personal information you provide will not be transferred to third parties without your consent. We occasionally hire other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, such as answering customer questions about products or services, or performing statistical analysis of our services. We will only provide those companies the personal information they need to deliver the service, and they are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose.

Microsoft may disclose personal information about you if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Microsoft or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Microsoft and its family of Web sites; or (c) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, users of Microsoft products or services, or members of the public.

Collection and use of information about your computer

This software contains Internet-enabled features that collect certain standard information from your computer (“standard computer information”) and send it to Microsoft. Standard computer information includes certain information about your computer software and hardware, such as your IP address, operating system, Web browser software and version. The privacy details for each Microsoft Security Essentials feature listed in this privacy statement disclose what additional information is collected and how it is used.

Information that is collected by or sent to Microsoft may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries, or agents maintain facilities, and by using this software, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your country. Microsoft abides by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union.

Recommended settings in Microsoft Security Essentials

If you choose the recommended settings during setup, Microsoft Security Essentials real-time protection will be enabled and automatic scanning will occur weekly at 2:00 A.M. on Sunday.

Joining Microsoft SpyNet

By installing Microsoft Security Essentials, you also agree to join Microsoft SpyNet, Microsoft’s free online community, dedicated to reporting and stopping malware, using a basic membership. When you join, Microsoft Security Essentials will automatically send information to Microsoft to help Microsoft determine which software to investigate for potential threats and to help improve Microsoft Security Essentials’s effectiveness. The type of information that is sent in reports depends on your level of membership (see below). As a rule, information that identifies your personally (personally identification information or PII) is generally not included in the information sent.

You can change the recommended Microsoft membership setting (from basic to advanced and back) at any time by using the options provided in Microsoft Security Essentials. However, to continue using Microsoft Security Essentials, you will need to remain a member of this online community.

Security of your information

Microsoft is committed to protecting the security of your information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

For more information

If you have questions about this privacy statement, please contact us by e-mail or postal mail:

Enlisting into Microsoft® Update Center

By installing Microsoft Security Essentials on your computer, you also agree to receive updates from the Microsoft® Update Center. This will ensure that Microsoft Security Essentials uses the latest updates against malware threats and can update your computer with the latest antimalware updates as needed.

Please note that if you do not enlist into Microsoft Update Center, you will not be able install and operate Microsoft Security Essentials.

Specific features

History

What this feature does: This feature provides a list of all items (programs) on your computer that were detected by Microsoft Security Essentials and actions that were taken when these programs were detected. The information in the History tab can be viewed only by the local computer administrator or by a standard user after clicking ‘Continue’ in the User Account Control dialog box. The information displayed in the History tab is for items detected for all users – not per user.

Allowed items, which are programs that Microsoft Security Essentials does not monitor while they are running on your computer, and Quarantined items, which are programs that Microsoft Security Essentials prevents from running until you choose to remove them or allow them to run again.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: The list of programs on your computer detected by Microsoft Security Essentials and the actions taken are stored on your computer. These lists include Microsoft Security Essentials activity for all the local users on the computer. The lists are sent to Microsoft as part of your basic membership in Microsoft SpyNet.

Choice and control: History lists may be deleted by the local computer administrator.

Automatic scanning for malware

What this feature does: Microsoft Security Essentials includes an automatic scanning feature, which scans your computer and alerts you if it detects malware. You can turn automatic scanning on or off and change the frequency and type of scans using the Microsoft Security Essentials Settings tab. You can also choose which actions are automatically applied to software that Microsoft Security Essentials detects during a scheduled scan.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: The list of programs on your computer detected by Microsoft Security Essentials and the actions taken are stored on your computer. These lists include Microsoft Security Essentials activity for all the local users on the computer. The lists are sent to Microsoft as part of your basic membership in Microsoft SpyNet.

Choice and control: While not recommended, you can turn off automatic scanning using the Microsoft Security Essentials Settings tab.

Real-time protection

What this feature does: Microsoft Security Essentials’s real-time protection feature alerts you when viruses, spyware and other potentially unwanted software attempts to install itself or run on your computer.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: The list of programs on your computer detected by Microsoft Security Essentials and the actions taken are stored on your computer. These lists include Microsoft Security Essentials activity for all the local users on the computer. The lists are sent to Microsoft as part of your basic membership in Microsoft SpyNet.

Choice and control: While not recommended, you can turn off real-time protection using the Microsoft Security Essentials Settings tab.

Shell extension

What this feature does: Shell extension is a scanning tool, which lets you select specific files and\or folders and scan them using Microsoft Security Essentials.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: The list of programs on your computer detected by Microsoft Security Essentials and the actions taken are stored on your computer. These lists include Microsoft Security Essentials activity for all the local users on the computer. These lists are sent to Microsoft as part of your basic membership in Microsoft SpyNet.

Choice and control: The shell extension feature is a manual tool that you can choose to use or not.

Microsoft SpyNet

What this feature does: The Microsoft SpyNet antimalware community is a voluntary, worldwide community that includes Microsoft Security Essentials users. Through Microsoft SpyNet, users can report malware and other forms of potentially unwanted software to Microsoft. Through Microsoft Spynet, reports about malware and potentially unwanted software are sent to Microsoft. The type of information that is sent in reports depends on your level of Microsoft SpyNet membership.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: Microsoft SpyNet reports include information about the files or programs in question, such as file names, cryptographic hash, vendor, size, and date stamps. In addition, Microsoft SpyNet might collect full URLs to indicate the origin of the file, which might occasionally contain personal information such as search terms or data entered in forms. Reports might also include the actions that you applied when Microsoft Security Essentials notified you that software was detected. Microsoft SpyNet reports include this information to help Microsoft gauge the effectiveness of Microsoft Security Essentials’s ability to detect and remove malicious and potentially unwanted software.

Reports are automatically sent to Microsoft when:

Microsoft Security Essentials detects software or changes to your computer by software that have not yet been analyzed for risks.

You apply actions to software that Microsoft Security Essentials has detected.

Microsoft Security Essentials completes a scheduled scan and automatically applies actions to software that it detects, according to your settings.

Reports might unintentionally contain personal information. To the extent that any personal information is included in a report, Microsoft does not use the information to identify you or contact you.

You can join Microsoft SpyNet with a basic or an advanced membership. If you choose the recommended settings during Microsoft Security Essentials setup, you join with a basic membership. Basic member reports contain the information described above. Advanced member reports are more comprehensive and might occasionally contain personal information from, for example, file paths and partial memory dumps. These reports, along with reports from other Microsoft Security Essentials users who are participating in Microsoft SpyNet, help Microsoft researchers discover new threats more rapidly. Malware definitions are then created for programs that meet the analysis criteria, and the updated definitions are made available to all users through Microsoft Update.

If you join Microsoft SpyNet with a basic or an advanced membership, Microsoft might request a Sample Submission report. This report contains specific files from your computer that Microsoft suspects might be potentially unwanted software. The report is used for further analysis. You will be asked each time if you want to send this Sample Submission report to Microsoft.

To help protect your privacy, reports are sent to Microsoft in encrypted form.

Use of information: Microsoft SpyNet reports are used to improve Microsoft software and services. The reports might also be used for statistical or other testing or analytical purposes, and for generating definitions. Only Microsoft employees, contractors, partners, and vendors who have a business need to use the reports are provided access to them.

Choice/control: Running Microsoft Security Essentials requires you to be a member of Microsoft SpyNet. You can extend your membership to an advanced membership, in which case you will be asked if you want to permit or deny changes made by software that has not yet been classified for risks. Basic members will not be asked to review changes by this software and the changes will be permitted. To change your Microsoft SpyNet membership, use the options provided in the Microsoft Security Essentials Settings.

Antimalware-related data collected from your computer

Microsoft Security Essentials collects antimalware-related data from your computer to help protect it. The following table explains about the types of data collected and how we use this data.

Microsoft Security Essentials uses this information to ensure that the latest virus and spyware updates are present on your computer. If the latest updates are not present, Microsoft Security Essentials will update itself automatically so that your computer’s protection stays up-to-date.

Virus and spyware protection

Name of potentially harmful or unwanted software

How the software was found

Any actions that Microsoft Security Essentials has taken to deal with the software

Microsoft Security Essentials uses this information to determine the type and severity level of potentially unwanted software on your computer, and to determine the best action to take. We also use this information to help improve the accuracy of Microsoft Security Essentials virus and spyware protection.
Note that we collect only the names of affected files, not the contents of the files themselves.
This information helps determine what systems are especially vulnerable to specific threats.

Virus and spyware protection

Virus and spyware definition update status

Status of real-time virus and spyware monitoring (on or off)

Once a month

Microsoft Security Essentials uses this information to verify that your computer has the latest Microsoft Security Essentials virus and spyware protection version, and has the most recent virus and spyware definitions. We also want to make sure that real-time virus and spyware monitoring is turned on, which is a critical part of helping protect your computer from potentially harmful or unwanted software.

Virus and spyware protection

List of running processes in your computer’s memory

During installation, or whenever you manually perform a virus and spyware scan of your computer

To identify any processes that might have been compromised by potentially harmful software.

Microsoft Security Essentials error reporting

Microsoft Security Essentials also collects and reports on errors that occur in the software.

What this feature does: Error reports include information about problems that occur in the Microsoft Security Essentials software.

Information collected, processed, or transmitted: Error reports might unintentionally contain personal information. For example, a report that contains a snapshot of computer memory might include your name. Part of a document you were working on could be included as well. Microsoft does not use this information to identify you or contact you. To learn more about error reports, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=56274.

Use of information: Error reports help Microsoft keep this software in good working condition so that we can help protect your computer against potential threats.

Choice and control: Error reports are essential to providing this service and are, therefore, automatically sent to Microsoft.